THE FINANCIER
it was his business to get it and keep it. Only he must
never be so foolish another time as to permit himself to
be caught within the toils of the law. This present diffi-
culty was due merely to a lack of forethought. If he had
kept his lines drawn tighter, had held a reserve n govern-
ment bonds in case of a possible panic, he would not be
in his present doubtful state. However, here he was,
and it was necessary to make the best of it.
The morning after the trial, on waking, he stirred curi-
ously, and then it suddenly came to him that he was no
longer in the free and comfortable atmosphere of his own
bedroom, but in a jail-cell, or rather its very comfortable
substitute, a sheriff's rented bedroom. He got up and
looked out the window. The ground outside and Passa-
yunk Avenue were white with snow. Some wagons were
lumbering by silently. A few Philadelphians were visible
here and there, going to and fro on morning errands. He
began to think at once what he must do, how he must
act to carry on his business, his efforts to rehabilitate him-
self ; and as he did so he dressed and pulled the bell-cord,
which had been indicated to him, and which would bring
him an attendant who would build him a fire and later
bring him something to eat. His problems were large
and significant, and he meditated on them while a shabby
prison attendant in a blue uniform, conscious of Cowper-
wood's superiority because of the room he occupied, laid
wood and coal in the grate and started a fire, and later
brought him his breakfast, which was anything but prison
fare, though poor enough at that. He had to take
what the sheriff served him—ham and eggs, coffee, bread
and butter, and a little jelly, which Cowperwood ate
solemnly by himself, speculating on how readily it might
have been worse.
He was compelled to wait in patience several hours,
in spite of the sheriff's assumption of solicitous interest,
before his brother Edward was admitted with his clothes.
An. attendant, for a consideration, brought him the morn-
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